From the Nominator

"With the launch of a new brand campaign, every university produces a mountain of swag that ultimately ends up in a landfill. With TXST NEXT, we decided to take a different approach. An approach that aligned the brand more closely with our students’ desire for personalization and beliefs about sustainability while successfully navigating supply chain shortages caused by the pandemic.   

Seventy-five percent of Gen Z consumers say sustainability is more important to them than brand when shopping and 76 percent expect brands to become more sustainable. Gen Z also values expressing their individuality through personalized items and unique experiences. With this in mind, we partnered with an alumni-run screen printing business for the "Wear NEXT" fashion upcycling events. We took students’ old clothes and surplus t-shirts from partnering departments and live-screen printed new TXST NEXT designs on them for free.   

Each week, two designs were available, creating a sense of exclusivity. Each student got to choose the design, color, and placement of the graphic, giving each item a fully customized, one-of-a-kind feel. The events were held on the Quad on two different days across two weeks, attracting plenty of foot traffic as students moved around campus. We built excitement by promoting the events across our social media channels.   

During the events, we printed 553 shirts and other items; generated 95,235 impressions, 45,078 video views, and 1,345 engagements across our social channels; created a valuable, lasting brand impression and experience for our students; and built a personal connection to the new brand."

From the Judges

The panel felt this entry was very creative and applauds Texas State University for the emphasis on sustainability and upcycling. The university embraced the student body's desire to feel unique and be seen and engaged as individuals—reinforcing the important role each individual plays in the success of the university and their belonging in a broader community. The judges felt that this concept could be easily adopted by other institutions, with the flexibility to alter the expression to suit their specific communities and opportunities.